Greg de Lima » Health

What Makes Us Happy?

Greg de Lima — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:18:29 +0000

A while back I wrote a 3 separate papers on one “specific” topic. What makes us happy?

This leads me to Malcolm Gladwell. I first thought it was peculiar how the author of Blink and The Tipping Point, could give me an answer to my question. But without a doubt he did. In his TED Talk, under the topic (which is named the same) What makes us happy?, I found he had the perfect answer.

At one point he says “People don’t know what makes them happy.” Then he proceeds to explain that we never really know until we’ve experienced it. Oddly he relates it to pasta sauce.

Also, watch Stefan Sagmeister who explains Happiness through design. I think happiness and less stress in everyones life would make a good change. Stress really doesn’t do any one, any good.

Does Blogging Make a Difference?

Greg de Lima — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 01:04:16 +0000

With all the hype on blogs, and the mild fact that there are literally hundreds upon thousands of blogs, begs the question can blogging really make a difference?

As the answer to many other questions I try to answer it is simply, Yes.

There are many different types of blogs, they fall in to Opinions, Rants, Reviews, Informational, Productivity, etc. But among the ones that really grab attention are the ones that give attention to what people WANT to hear. This brings me to the Blog of Colby Buzzell. As a soldier in Iraq, he posted from Iraq for people to read. His blog stirred such controversy that it really did make a difference. He posted so truthfully as to what happened in his daily life in Iraq that the government threatened to remove him from service due to his blogging activity. The difference he made was that the media and the everyday person began to understand what was really happening overseas. His blogging eventually led to the release of his book My War: Killing Time in Iraq. The book furthered the everyday person’s knowledge of the Iraq war.

On a lighter note more common blogs on Economics, Personal Financ e, Life Hacks and many others, are really beginning to make a difference in many lives.

For those who really have a hard time organizing themselves these blogs have been a steady access from average to professional advice. What comes from these blogs helps people in ways that have really been limited in access. Some blogs like SOCOM Sales even help with many salesmen and women do their jobs more efficiently and more productively.

The blogging world goes so far that Blog posts are even being related with major magazines like Esquire. When you subscribe to their RSS feed, it becomes exactly like a blog. Their posts change and you receive the updates.

Blogging has 100% made a difference in the information age we live in. People have access to more information than ever, and are learning more and more. For a great list of blogs and other information visit Popurls, or Alltop.

Book Review: You! The Owner’s Manual

Greg de Lima — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:09:55 +0000

Perhaps one of the few of the health books that I throughly enjoyed reading from cover to cover. Many times we come across those health books that simply bore you to death, this one…doesn’t do that at all! Not only do Dr. Oz, and Dr. Roizen do an excellent job of writing the book, the illustrations give a good laugh every few pages. If you look at the illustrations carefully you’ll see that they’ve written in some little fragments and purposeful misspellings for laughing sake.

This book has many perks to it, and very little downfall, none which I found. The book is broken up into sections, each section is a different part of your body. For Example, you have Heart and Arteries, Motion Control, Sex Marks the Spot, The Immune System, so on. Whether you want to read the book cover to cover or chapter by chapter depending on what your desire for knowledge is, you can read either way. Each chapter is independent of the other, though I suggest reading the introduction either way.

My particular likings to this book, is that it informs you. It tells you what different foods, vitamins etc. do to the body. This gives you a better perspective for what is going into your body and how it should be taken. Then the book goes a step further in describing how the different foods affect your metabolism with exercise.

All in all the book give 3 excellent points.

Overall Body Maintenance
Proper Diet
Proper Exercise

I suggest that if you really have the ambition to change yourself and the way your body maintains itself, this book is an excellent fun, and informational read. Give it a try after all YOU! are your body’s owner, this book truly is a proper manual in maintenance.

Find the book at Borders, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

Visit the Site of Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen Here.

Abs Workout from Men’s Health

Greg de Lima — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:44:13 +0000

When you construct your schedule, make sure to: Leave at least 48 hours between weight workouts of the same body parts. Your muscles need time to recover and repair themselves after a workout. Take 1 day each week to rest with no formal exercise. Warm up for 5 minutes before starting to exercise, either through a light jog, riding on a stationary bike, jumping rope, or doing slow jumping jacks.

Exercise	Repetitions	Rest	Sets
Traditional Crunch*	12–15	none	1
Bent-Leg Knee Raise*	12–15	none	1
Oblique V-Up*	10 each side	none	1
Bridge*	1 or 2	none	1
Back Extensions*	12–15	none	1
Squat	10–12	30 seconds	2
Bench Press	10	30 seconds	2
Pulldown	10	30 seconds	2
Military Press	10	30 seconds	2
Upright Row	10	30 seconds	2
Triceps Pushdown	10–12	30 seconds	2
Leg Extension	10–12	30 seconds	2
Biceps Curl	10	30 seconds	2
Leg Curl	10–12	30 seconds	2

Tuesday (Optional):

Light Cardiovascular Exercise Such as Walking

(Try for 30 Minutes at a Brisk Pace)

Wednesday:

Total-Body Strength Training Workout with Ab Emphasis

Complete one set of each ab exercise* once, then complete rest of circuit twice.

Exercise	Repetitions	Rest	Sets
Traditional Crunch*	12–15	none	1
Pulse Up*	12	none	1
Saxon Side Bend*	6-10 each side	none	1
Side Bridge*	1 or 2 each side	none	1
Back Extensions*	12–15	none	1
Squat	10–12	30 seconds	2
Bench Press	10	30 seconds	2
Pulldown	10	30 seconds	2
Military Press	10	30 seconds	2
Upright Row	10	30 seconds	2
Triceps Pushdown	10–12	30 seconds	2
Leg Extension	10–12	30 seconds	2
Biceps Curl	10	30 seconds	2
Leg Curl	10–12	30 seconds	2

Thursday (Optional):

Light Cardiovascular Exercise Such as Walking

(Try for 30–45 Minutes at a Brisk Pace)

Friday:

Total-Body Strength Training Workout, with Leg Emphasis

Repeat entire circuit twice.

Exercise	Repetitions	Rest	Sets
Squat	10–12	30 seconds	2
Bench Press	10	30 seconds	2
Pulldown	10	30 seconds	2
Traveling Lunge	10–12 each leg	30 seconds	2
Military Press	10	30 seconds	2
Upright Row	10	30 seconds	2
Step-Up	10–12 each leg	30 seconds	2
Triceps Pushdown	10–12	30 seconds	2
Leg Extension	10–12	30 seconds	2
Biceps Curl	10	30 seconds	2
Leg Curl	10–12	30 seconds	2

Saturday (Optional):

Abs Workout Plus Interval Workout

Complete one set of each ab exercise, then choose one interval workout from our selection.

Exercise	Repetitions	Rest	Sets
Traditional Crunch	12–15	None	1
Bent-Leg Knee Raise	12	None	1
Oblique V-Up	6–10 each side	None	1
Bridge	1–2	None	1
Back Extension	12–15	None	1

Sunday: Off

ABS EXERCISES

Traditional Crunch

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your hands behind your ears. Slowly crunch up, bringing your shoulder blades off the ground. 12 – 15 repetitions, 1 setBent-Leg Knee Raise
Lie on your back with your head and neck relaxed and your hands on the floor near your butt. Your feet should be flat on the floor. Use your lower abdominal muscles to raise your knees up toward your rib cage, then slowly lower your feet back to the starting position. As your feet lightly touch the floor, repeat. 12 reps, 1 setOblique V-Up
Lie on your side with your body in a straight line. Fold your arms across your chest. Keeping your legs together, lift them off the floor as you raise your top elbow toward your hip. The range of motion is short, but you should feel an intense contraction in your obliques. 10 reps each side, 1 setBridge
Start to get in a Pushup position, but bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms instead of your hands. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. Pull your abdominals in; imagine you’re trying to move your belly button back to your spine. Hold for 20 seconds, breathing steadily. As you build endurance, you can do one 60-second set. 1 – 2 reps, 1 setStanding Crunch

Attach a rope handle to a high cable pulley. Stand with your back to the weight stack, and hold the ends of the rope behind your head. Crunch down. 12 – 15 reps, 1 setPulse Up

Lie with your hands underneath your tailbone and your legs raised and pointed straight up toward the ceiling, perpendicular to your torso. Pull your navel inward, and flex your glutes as you lift your hips just a few inches off the floor. Then lower your hips. 12 reps, 1 setSaxon Side Bend

Hold a pair of lightweight dumbbells over your head, in line with your shoulders, with your elbows slightly bent. Keep your back straight, and slowly bend directly to your left side as far as possible without twisting your upper body. Pause, return to an upright position, then bend to your right side as far as possible. 6 – 10 reps on each side, no rest between setsSide Bridge

Lie on your nondominant side. Support your weight with that forearm and the outside edge of that foot. Your body should form a straight line from head to ankles. Pull your abs in as far as you can, and hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds, breathing steadily. Relax. If you can do 30 seconds, do one repetition. If not, try for any combination of reps that gets you up to 30 seconds. Repeat on your other side.1–2 repetitions on each side

Back Extension

Position yourself in a back extension station, and hook your feet under the leg anchor. Hold your arms straight out in front of you. Your body should form a straight line from your hands to your hips. Lower your torso, allowing your lower back to round, until it’s just short of perpendicular to the floor. Raise your upper body until it’s slightly above parallel to the floor. At this point, you should have a slight arch in your back, and your shoulder blades should be pulled together. Pause for a second, then repeat. 12 – 15 reps, 1 set

CORE EXERCISES

Squat

Hold a barbell with an overhand grip so that it rests comfortably on your upper back. Set your feet shoulder-width apart, and keep your knees slightly bent, back straight, and eyes focused straight ahead. Slowly lower your body as if you were sitting back into a chair, keeping your back in its natural alignment and your lower legs nearly perpendicular to the floor. When your thighs are parallel to the floor, pause, then return to the starting position.Home variation:

Same, but with one dumbbell in each hand, your palms facing your outer thighs. 10 – 12 repsBench Press

Lie on your back on a flat bench with your feet on the floor. Grab the barbell with an overhand grip, your hands just beyond shoulder-width apart. Lift the bar off the uprights, and hold it at arm’s length over your chest. Slowly lower the bar to your chest. Pause, then push the bar back to the starting position.Home variation:

Just do standard pushups: Get in a Pushup position with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Bend at the elbows while keeping your back straight, until your chin almost touches the floor, then push back up. 10 repsPulldown

Stand facing a lat pulldown machine. Reach up and grasp the bar with an overhand grip that’s 4 to 6 inches wider than your shoulders. Sit on the seat, letting the resistance of the bar extend your arms above your head. When you’re in position, pull the bar down until it touches your upper chest. Hold this position for a second, then return to the starting position.Home variation:
Bent-Over Row: Stand with your knees slightly bent and shoulder-width apart. Bend over so that your back is almost parallel to the floor. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, let your arms hang toward the floor. With your palms facing in, pull the dumbbells toward you until they touch the outside of your chest. Pause, then return to the starting position. 10 repsMilitary Press
Sitting on an exercise bench, hold a barbell at shoulder height with your hands shoulder-width apart. Press the weight straight overhead so that your arms are almost fully extended, hold for a count of one, then bring it down to the front of your shoulders. Repeat.Home variation:

Sitting on a sturdy chair instead of a bench, hold one dumbbell in each hand, about level with your ears. Push the dumbbells straight overhead so that your arms are almost fully extended, hold for a count of one, then return to the starting position. Repeat. 10 reps

Upright Row

Grab a barbell with an overhand grip, and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Let the barbell hang at arm’s length on top of your thighs, thumbs pointed toward each other. Bending your elbows, lift your upper arms straight out to the sides, and pull the barbell straight up until your upper arms are parallel to the floor and the bar is just below chin level. Pause, then return to the starting position.Home variation:
Same, using one dumbbell in each hand. 10 repsTriceps Pushdown

While standing, grip a bar attached to a high pulley cable or lat machine with your hands about 6 inches apart. With your elbows tucked against your sides, bring the bar down until it is directly in front of you. With your forearms parallel to the floor (the starting position), push the bar down until your arms are extended straight down with the bar near your thighs. Don’t lock your elbows. Return to the starting position.Home variation: Triceps Kickback
Stand with your knees slightly bent and shoulder-width apart. Bend over so that your back is almost parallel to the ground. Bend your elbows to about 90-degree angles, raising them to just above the level of your back. This is the starting position. Extend your forearms backward, keeping your upper arms stationary. When they’re fully extended, your arms should be parallel to the ground. Pause, then return to the starting position. 10 – 12 repsLeg Extension
Sitting on a leg extension machine with your feet under the footpads, lean back slightly, and lift the pads with your feet until your legs are extended.Home variation:
Squat Against the Wall. Stand with your back flat against a wall. Squat down so that your thighs are parallel to the ground. Hold that position for as long as you can. That consists of one set. Aim for 20 seconds to start, and work your way up to 45 seconds. 10 – 12 repsBiceps Curl
Stand while holding a barbell in front of you, palms facing out, with your hands shoulder-width apart and your arms hanging in front of you. Curl the weight toward your shoulders, hold for a second, then return to the starting position.Home variation: Same, only use a set of dumbbells instead. 10 reps

Leg Curl

Lie facedown on a leg curl machine, and hook your ankles under the padded bar. Keeping your stomach and pelvis against the bench, slowly raise your feet toward your butt, curling up the weight. Come up so that your feet nearly touch your butt, and slowly return to the starting position.Home variation:

Lie down with your stomach on the floor. Put a light dumbbell between your feet (so that the top end of the dumbbell rests on the bottom of your feet). Squeeze your feet together, and curl them up toward your butt. 10 – 12 reps